AMIDST tears of joy and laughter and overall happiness, children and their families received the good news as the Ministry of Education on Wednesday announced the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results. During an invited comment, the former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand congratulated the children who sat NGSA.
“Warmest congratulations to all the children who sat the NGSA 2015. Special congratulations to Solomon Cherai who topped the country,” she said, adding:
“I am very pleased to see that Region 9 is the most improved region; something we expected, given the investments consciously made in the people there.”
She said that she is pleased that these improved results evidence the equity with which investments were made, “the natural and happy consequence being that more students from all across Guyana are doing well.”
Manickchand also thanked and congratulated all the teachers who give of their best, in their continuous service to the nation.
“Wilfred Success,” she said, “continues to show us, tangibly, what a difference a good teacher/administrator makes in a child’s academic life.”
The former minister also took the time to commend the hard work of those parents who render their continuous support in the best interest of their children. “A common thread in all the children who have done well, as well as all those who moved from one level of performance to a higher one, will undoubtedly be dedicated, interested parents. Thank you to the parents who continue to invest time and other resources in their children,” she related.
Meanwhile, addressing concerns raised about the private institutions producing better performance than the public schools, Manickchand posited that children from private schools are also Guyanese, and that as such persons should not be jealous of them or belittle their achievements.
She however conceded that there are some practices adopted by the private schools that can prove useful to the public schools. She specifically referred to the fact that private school children always have to maintain a certain level of performance; persons are held more accountable; and parents with children in private schools tend to invest more time in their academic activities.
“I am also very pleased, too, that, for the first time here in our beautiful Guyana, schools, students and parents will be able to access assessment results Online. Hope to see this continued and expanded to include results of all national assessments. To all the students, I say, God Bless, and all my love,” the former minister concluded.
As the Guyana Chronicle visited some of the schools to interact with children and their teachers, many pupils noted that their sacrifice has paid off. The students of this year’s sitting have made it clear that they are not interested in the traditional ‘run-of-the-mill’ careers such as layers and doctors. These students have expressed that they have their sights set on becoming the President of Guyana, marine biologists and even a mechanical engineer.
They noted, too, the amount of studies that is required even at their level and expressed the sacrifice of their parents and teachers.
A percentage of the marks gained at the Grade Two and the Grade Four Assessments was combined with the marks gained at the Grade Six Assessment in order to determine the candidates’ overall scores. Five per cent (5%) of each candidate’s Grade Two score in Mathematics and English, and ten percent (10%) of the Grade Four score in the same subjects, were added to eighty five percent (85%) of each candidate’s score in those subjects. The combined scores in Mathematics and English were added to the scores gained in Science and Social Studies.
The highest possible standardised scores obtainable were Mathematics 138, English 132, Social Studies 132, and Science 133. The highest possible total score obtainable was 535.
By Rebecca Ganesh